Presenting Your Work in an Interview using PowerPoint

I believe in one thing: Every extra effort you do prior to the job interview matters. If nothing else, it shows the high level of motivation for the job as well as that you are a responsible person.

To prepare a PowerPoint presentation for a job interview is a good idea. There are in general two typical forms of presentations candidates prepare:

Working portfolio – you can prepare a portfolio of your work, achievements, etc. This is especially good for positions where certain skills is needed, such as graphic designer, web developer, application developer, marketing manager, cook, etc.

Presentation of a specific project related to the job – For example, if you apply for a position of project manager in IT company, you can prepare a PowerPoint presentation of project you have successfully accomplished, which is related to the job.

When speaking about these presentations, I would suggest you to call the interviewer before an interview to questions about doing it. You know, the interviews have sometimes a very tight schedule, so it is good if they know your plans. All you have to do is to make a call/ send an email and ask if it is OK to present a PowerPoint presentation in an interview. In most of the cases, the response is positive.

How to prepare such a presentation?

From a software point of view, you can fin countless tutorials on YouTube, to learn how to prepare a perfectly looking PowerPoint presentation.
From the content point of view, we prepared a good article called interview portfolio to help you to choose the right content. Please, have a look at it to understand what matters for the employers and what you can/should include in your presentation.

Practice it before an interview

It happened to me many times. I interviewed a job seeker. They brought a laptop to the interview and showed the presentation. However, the talk did not make sense or the presentation had nothing to do with the offer.

You should always practice your presentation before an interview. Make sure it is somehow connected to the job you are applying for. You should also think for a while about the way you present it. Most likely it is better to make no presentation than to make a bad one…

Do not put the interviewers under pressure

Interviewers tend to be very organized people. They have a plan of interview and act according to it. That’s why you should not interrupt them somewhere at the beginning and tell that you want to present your portfolio or project. You should wait for an appropriate time, what can be:

1. When they inquire you about your working experience

2. At the end of the interview

3. Before the section of tests and case studies

In a job interview, small details can often make a big difference. Show them that you care, show them that this job matters to you, by preparing a suitable PowerPoint presentation. It can pay big time, if done correctly. I wish you good luck in an interview!